أمنارة الساري وأمن الوادي — Ahmad Muharram

أَمنارةَ السَّاري وأَمْنَ الوادِي

هَلْ بَاتَ حَوْلَكِ سَامِرٌ فَأُنادِي

O beacon of the night traveler, and safety of the valley,

Has a night companion stayed beside you, that I might call?

أَسَفُ الصَّدَى أن يَضمَحِلَّ ومَا قضَى

وَطراً مِنَ الأَسماعِ والأَكبادِ

The echo's sorrow is to fade before it has fulfilled

its longing for ears and hearts.

وَمِنَ العَناءِ وقد بَلوتُ صُنُوفَهُ

فَشلُ الهُداةِ وخَيْبةُ القُوّادِ

And among hardships, whose many kinds I have known,

are the guides' failure and the leaders' disappointment.

في ذِمَّةِ الذّكرِ الحكيمِ رِسَالَتي

وإليكَ رَبِّي مَرْجِعي وَمَعادي

My message rests in the keeping of the wise Scripture,

and to You, my Lord, are my return and my final homecoming.

أنتَ العليمُ بِما أُريدُ وأَبْتَغي

وَبِما أكابِدُ مِن أذىً وَعِنادِ

You know fully what I desire and seek,

and the harm and stubborn opposition I endure.

عِفْتُ الصِّبى وَجعلتُ شَيْبِي قُرْبَةً

أَبْغِي الحياةَ لأُمَّتِي وبِلادي

I spurned youth and made my gray hair an act of devotion,

seeking life for my nation and my homeland.

كلٌّ لِوجْهِكَ لَيسَ شَيءٌ غَيرُه

إلّا يصيرُ إلى بِلىً وَنَفادِ

All is for Your countenance; there is nothing else

that does not pass into decay and extinction.

أَغْرَى الخوارجَ بالعداوةِ أنّهم

وَجَدوا مُرادَكَ في الحياةِ مُرادي

What incited the rebels to hostility was that they

found Your purpose in life to be my purpose.

لَكِ يا مُنَوِّرَةَ البقاع تَحَيَّةٌ

مِن رائحٍ في نُورِ عِلْمِكِ غادِ

To you, O illuminator of the lands, comes a greeting

from one who travels evening and morning in the light of your knowledge.

سِيري عَلى نُورِ الكِتابِ وَهدْيِهِ

وعلى التي سَنَّ الأمينُ الهادي

Proceed by the Book's light and its guidance,

and by the way established by the Trustworthy Guide.

لَكِ في بني الإِسلامِ أَجرُ مُجَدِّدٍ

لِشرائعِ الآباءِ والأجدادِ

Yours among the sons of Islam is the reward of a renewer

of the laws of fathers and forefathers.

أَنْصَفْتِ دينَ اللهِ مِن أعدائِه

وهَزَمْتِ دِينَ الكُفْرِ والإِلحادِ

You vindicated God's religion against its enemies,

and defeated the creed of unbelief and atheism.

وغِضبتِ للأخلاقِ غَضْبَةَ حُرَّةٍ

تَأْبَى الحياةَ مَشوبةً بفَسادِ

And you raged for morality with the wrath of a free woman

who refuses a life tainted by corruption.

وَجَهِدْتِ تَبنينَ العُروبةَ كُلَّما

أَبْصَرتِ حَائِطَها بِغيرِ عِمادِ

And you labored to build Arab identity whenever

you saw its wall without a supporting pillar.

رُدِّي الغُواةَ إلى السّبيلِ وأَذِّني

في الجامحينَ بِحكمةٍ وسَدادِ

Bring the erring back to the path, and call out

among the headstrong with wisdom and sound judgment.

وَخُذِي العُهودَ على الرِّجالِ فَحسْبُهم

مَا كانَ مِن شَغَبٍ وَطُولِ تَعادِ

And take pledges from the men; they have had enough

of past strife and prolonged mutual hostility.

الضّعفُ أَدركَهُمْ وكانوا قُوّةً

لا تُستباحُ بِقُوَّةٍ وَعَتادِ

Weakness has overtaken them, though they once were a force

that could not be overrun by force and arms.

يُلقِي إليها المُستبِدُّ قِيادَهُ

والحقُّ منها آخِذٌ بِقيادِ

To it the tyrant hands over his reins,

and justice takes hold of its reins.

إنْ أَمْسَكتْ فَعَنِ الأَذَى وإذا مَضَتْ

مَضَتِ السُّيوفُ على هُدىً وَرَشادِ

If it refrains, it is from doing harm; and when it advances,

the swords advance with guidance and right judgment.

عَطفْت على الأُمَمِ الضعافِ وطَوَّحَتْ

خَلْفَ الدُّروبِ بآخرينَ شِدادِ

It showed compassion to weak nations, and hurled

other mighty ones beyond the passes.

لم تَتَّخِذْ مُلكاً أزلَّ وَلم تُقِمْ

حُكماً على شَطَطٍ ولا اسْتبدادِ

It acquired no precarious dominion, nor established

rule upon injustice or despotism.

خُلِقَتْ سَلاماً لِلشُّعوبِ وَرحمةً

في عَالَمٍ بادي الشَّراسَةِ عادِ

It was created as peace for the peoples, and as mercy

in a world openly ferocious and aggressive.

يَرْعَى الضِّعافَ بهِ ويَمْلِكُ أَمْرَهُمْ

غَرثانُ يَلتهمُ الممالكَ صادِ

The weak in it are tended, and their affairs controlled,

by a hungry, thirsty one who devours kingdoms.

يَرِدُ الدّماءَ بَريئةً ويخوضُها

وَلْهَى ولم تَكُ مَطْمَحَ الوُرَّادِ

He comes to innocent blood and wades through it—

distraught blood, never the goal of those coming to drink.

اللهُ حَرَّمَها ودَافعَ دُونها

مَن ذا يُدافِعُ ربَّه ويُرادي

God made it inviolable and defended it;

who would contend with his Lord and defy Him?

نظر الهداةُ إلى الشُّعوبِ فما دَرَوْا

أَعُقولُ وَحْشٍ أم طِباعُ جمادِ

The guides looked upon the peoples, and could not tell:

Were these beasts' minds, or the natures of lifeless matter?

وتعجَّبوا للأرضِ كيفَ يَسوسُها

طُغيانُ أربابٍ وجَهلُ عِبادِ

And they wondered at the earth: how can it be governed

by the tyranny of lords and the ignorance of servants?

مَرِضَتْ نُفوسُ العالَمينَ فَعادَها

خيرُ الأُساةِ وأفضلُ العُوّادِ

The souls of all peoples fell ill, and were visited

by the best of healers and the finest of those who visit the sick.

طِبٌّ من الوحْي المفصَّلِ آخِذٌ

بِمجامعِ الأَرواحِ والأجسادِ

A medicine from the fully expounded revelation, taking hold

of the very cores of souls and bodies.

ما انفكّتِ الأفهامُ في أصفادِها

حتّى تداركها الرّسولُ الفادي

Minds remained in their fetters

until the redeeming Messenger came to their rescue.

إيهٍ مُحبَّ الدّينِ زِدْهُ محَبّةً

في المؤمنين وَزِدْهُ صَفْوَ وِدادِ

Go on, lover of the faith: foster more love for it

among believers, and give it more unalloyed affection.

ليِ مِن يراعكَ في الصَّبابةِ مُسعِدٌ

فَامْزجْ مِدادَك في الهَوى بِمدادي

In your reed-pen I find a companion in ardent longing;

so mingle your ink with mine in love.

وتَعالَ نَقْضِ الحقَّ في ميعادهِ

إن الحياةَ قريبةُ الميعادِ

And come, let us fulfill what is due at its appointed time;

for life's appointed end is near.

اليومَ نَملِكُ أن نَقولَ وإنَّنا

لإِلى رُفاتٍ صَامتٍ وَرَمادِ

Today we have the power to speak, but surely we

are bound for silent remains and ashes.

قُلْ ما أردتَ ونادِ قومَكَ أَقْبِلوا

مِن حاضرٍ يَخْشَى الإلهَ وبادِ

Say what you wish, and call your people: "Come,

town-dwellers who fear God, and desert-dwellers alike!"

اللهُ يَسألُ أين غُوْدِرَ دينُه

ويقولُ أين فَوارِسي وَجِيادي

God asks where His religion has been abandoned,

and says: "Where are My horsemen and My steeds?"

أَفَيَطْمعُ النُّوَّامُ مِلءَ عُيونهِمِ

أن يَملِكُوا الدُّنيا بِغَيْرِ جِهادِ

Do those who fill their eyes with sleep hope

to possess the world without struggle?

سِرْ يا دَليلَ الرّكبِ مَأمونَ الخُطَى

وَارْفَعْ يَديكَ تَحيَّةً للحادي

Go on, O guide of the caravan, with sure steps,

and raise your hands in greeting to the singing camel-driver.

المُسلمونَ على هُدىً مِن رَبِّهم

ما دَامَ نُورُكَ عن يَمينِ الوادي

The Muslims follow guidance from their Lord,

so long as your light remains on the valley's right side.